Syneron Velashape

About this Project

Skin care is big business. We are living in the age of Botox, fillers, and ageless aging. Syneron is a big player in medical beauty market. They are known for their product, Velashape. Velashape is a cellulite reduction machine that uses a proprietary way of combining radio frequency, heat, and massage to reduce the appearance of cellulite on a persons body.

Syneron came to DDSTUDIO to help them update Velashape’s image. Though Velashape had the leading cellulite reduction technology in the industry, the device was hard to use and was visually outdated. Their goal was to release a new version of Velashape to position them back as the industry leader and boost their sales.

User Information

Name: Anna MalcolmOccupation: Nurse in a medical spaAge: 35Goals in using the interface: To confidently and quickly set up a treatment and begin the session.Tools or devices: The Velashape touch screen display and device.Prior Experience: The nurse is very experienced with how the Velashape machine works and has used the earlier generation Velashape machine. Although the interface is new to her the expected outcome is not.

User Observations

The previous version of this machine was difficult for the nurses to use. It had a tiny hard to see dot matrix display and large clunky hoses that made the machine difficult to maneuver into place. We also observed that nurses would bring in their own laser thermometers to test the temperature because the couldn’t see the temp reading on the display and didn’t trust its accuracy.

It is also important to note that many nurses develop their own way of setting up and providing treatment. Velashape encouraged this but wanted a way to set a baseline that the nurses could easily refer to.

Visual Inspiration

This was the chosen Visual Inspiration for the Syneron project. This collection of images helped to set the tone for the hardware and software. The emphasis of this board was on clean, modern shapes and muted gray tones with pops of color. We didn’t want this product to feel like a medical cart but instead we wanted this to feel like an object that belonged in a spa. The images on this board reflect characteristic qualities of exercise materials, vibrant modern furniture and soft subtle textures.

Wire Frames

The structure of this User Interface is based upon sliding help panels. The main screen has only the minimal information that a nurse needs to begin the treatment. At the top of this screen is a tab for a guidance panel.

This panel has more detailed information about tip selection, areas of the body and treatment area size and time. This panel can be slid down at any point to assist the nurse. At the bottom of the main screen is an options panel in which the nurse can toggle various components on or off. This is mostly for an advanced user that is trying to achieve a particular setting.

Preliminary Visual Comps

The preliminary visuals for this user interface is centered around easy to see and touch concepts. The most important controls were created large and easy to see from at least a few feet away. Metaphors such as dials, knobs and sliders gave the nurse instant insight into how the controls worked and encouraged them to touch the screen.

Knowing the nurse what not the only person to view the screen; I tried to make the interfaces not only easy for the nurse to use, but also reassuring for the patient. I tried to make the visuals fit in to the spa environment where the treatment was being done.

Visuals

The final result was a happy marriage of several of the preliminary concepts. Although I generally don’t like to mash together concepts, in this case I feel like the sum is greater than the parts. The indicators are easy to read and. Colors differentiate between various kinds of indicators and direct the attention of the nurse. The white background with soft shadows is calm and reassuring to the patient and provides a clean, high end spa feel.

Outcome

This product won a 2014 GOOD DESIGN Award. The new Velashape has helped Syneron reclaim their place as a leader in the medical spa market. You can learn more about this product at syneron-candela website